Tool
by Hanzatsu-Hime
Summary: "Do you know her, Roronoa-san? Would it hurt you to lose her, or would you merely toss her memories aside as you once did mine?" Someone from Zoro's past has revealed himself and intends to ruin his life by destroying it from the inside out. What will happen to the first nakama to arrive in an attempt to save him? (Zoro X Nami)
1. Wield

**_One Piece:_**

 **Tool**

* * *

 **Pairing:** Roronoa Zoro x Nami

 **Rating:** T (Violence and Language)

 **Timeline:** Post-Time Skip

* * *

"ZORO! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

' _Ah, that sounds like a woman's voice, doesn't it?_ '

' _Sultan, STOP_!' He would have said, if given the chance.

' _Do you know her, Roronoa-san?_ '

Were it within his power, he would have replied, ' _Don't you DARE do anything to hurt her!_ '

' _Would it hurt you to lose her, or would you merely toss her memories aside as you once did mine?_ '

He wanted to say something, to _think_ of something to respond to Sultan's taunting, but he couldn't. There was no voice in his head aside from his ex-partner's and it governed every thought, every emotional response he could have possibly had when Nami's voice called out to him in the abandoned building in which he was immaterially being held. It had felt as though her announcement of her presence had broken the control that had been placed upon him, but all she had managed to do was awaken the monster that was his old ally and remind the vengeful man of his capabilities with the first mate of the Mugiwara under his control. In a dark room, isolated and alone, he sat in a meditative state that would surely fool his nakama when she approached him. But there was nothing he could do – his physical strength and his Haki were useless to him as he heard the click-clack of those familiar heels rush towards the space in which he was hidden.

Accompanying the sound was a cruel chuckle, as Sultan mockingly asked, ' _Will she be able to stand against your strength, Roronoa-san? Oh no, your instincts tell me otherwise. Your heart is beating faster, because you know that she is no match for you, don't you? I know you can feel the cold sweat that is gathering on your brow; if you could, would you wish your hands could curl into fists as if you honestly believe that can stop me from what I plan to do with you?; your breathing is heavier because in your heart you know…it doesn't matter what you want deep inside._

' _You are going to help me collect the bounty on this girl's head, or rather, I am going to help you to get it for me._ '

Void of the capability to process anything but the haunting words that swirled inside of his mind, the only indication that Zoro had processed anything was the sudden jingle that chimed from the earrings he wore, when he lifted his head to see the one and only Nami's silhouette appear in the doorway of his hideaway. Dressed in her typical attire of a bikini top and jeans, her body was incredibly bare for the autumn island's winter season. From his shadowy corner of the room, he managed to catch the sight of the twinkle in her eyes when she spotted him and the fire that sparked behind them that was surely akin to some sort of relief she felt. It was the burning in his gut that grounded him as she walked into the rundown space towards her supposed nakama, begging him to defeat the invisible force that was one of his most formidable foes. "Zoro!" she sounded as though she had cheered to discover his location, "What are you doing out here!? Why did you have to run off to such a creepy island?"

' _Get up._ '

His right leg uncrossed itself and he planted his foot on the ground, no matter what he would have wanted to do in that very moment.

"Everyone had to split up to find you, since there are so many warehouses and burned down buildings and lackeys _everywhere_."

Their years together as Mugiwara meant nothing then, as the voice inside of him commanded his left leg to slip beneath him in order to allow him the leverage to stand.

"Is this island an old base for some thugs or something? Why would you want to come here?"

Much easier than he would have wished, in each of his hands, he smoothly drew his swords from their scabbards.

The navigator was stunned to see him armed without a known cause. Nevertheless, she appeared to trust his instincts and clutched her Clima Tact to her body, "…Zoro? What, is there an enemy here!?" Tossing her head in every direction, it was as if she was trying to use her eyes much like a cat's and see through the darkness to locate any sort of threat that accompanied them.

' _Don't forget your precious Wadou Ichimonji, too._ '

Without hesitation, he placed his most coveted blade's hilt between his tense jaws.

Indeed, his breathing was rampant, as his mind and body could be controlled but his mighty aptitude was not within the jurisdiction of Sultan's Puppet Puppet Fruit powers. The man that plagued him did not seem too concerned with the small corner of Zoro's essence that he still held onto, as there was no guarantee that it held any weight in the actions his body was about to take. Underneath his usual attire, his expansive shoulders moved in accordance with his restless breaths much like a wild animal's before a battle between a predator and its prey was set to begin.

And he could not even warn her by merely urging her to run.

When she received no answer to her question, and after witnessing Kuina's blade enter his mouth, the intelligent woman that was Cat Burglar Nami measured the man before with scrutinizing eyes. "Zoro…" Was all she needed to say to indicate that she knew something was wrong with him. Of course, aside from Luffy himself, Nami had known him the longest and could undoubtedly recognize any sort of aberration in his personality—

' _She is one of your crew, is she not? I recognize that face from her wanted posters… Yes, she is indeed a thing of beauty. Shall I have you retrieve her body for me so that I may appreciate her in person? No, my mere wishes are not as important as your ultimate demise is, Roronoa-san. A shame, since her life would have been marginally better had I chosen to keep her at my side._

' _Given that it would have lasted longer. Now go._ '

Without any further warning, the swordsman leapt forward with Sandai Kitetsu and Shusui crossed in front of his body, and the horrific battle began in an instance.

That panicked expression on Nami's face was entirely warranted after a simple blink had brought the two of them face to face. If her own weapon had not been so close at hand, there was no doubt that she would have easily perished then and there; the Clima Tact barely managed to fend off the charge and resulted in an unsuspecting Nami slipping beneath his stance in her state of surprise. "Z-Zo…ro…" Her whisper held her unbridled fear in a vice grip, his name somehow a lifeline to the reality that was before her, above her, ready to kill her. The powerlessness they both felt in such a scenario was the greatest thing they had ever had in common as the scent of her tears and blood were immediately detected by his advance senses.

With an expressionless eye, he looked down at the once proud woman on the floor. It was evident that his blades had managed to nick her hands with two clean slices as she had plummeted to the ground, the blood running clear and vibrant promising that her wounds were not very deep. However, her tears were much more noteworthy than some weakly delivered strikes – the realization that her very life was in danger at the hands of one of her oldest friends was glimmering in her once joyous stare. His wide, muscular body loomed over her, armed with all three of his swords, without an ounce of concern visible in his appearance, and yet he could still see her mind working through the situation as if she was just as focused on determining the cause in his strange behaviour as she was with her own safety.

"I-I'm sorry." She suddenly stated as a sharp blow from her knee was delivered right to his crotch. The grunt that he emitted was one that had broiled in his chest for a split second before it was released. Her powerful and shocking shot stole those weighty breaths from his lungs as the pain rolled throughout his body much more devastatingly than any other of her simple punches or kicks he had endured over the years. While his vision endured slight spotting, he witnessed as she cleverly dragged her body out from underneath him by slinking downwards instead of crawling into the immediate line of sight for the tips of his swords. It looked absolutely uncomfortable to drag her bare skin along the stone-made floor beneath her, but no one present in this battle cared much for discomfort when someone's life was at stake.

' _Come now, Roronoa-san, you cannot be done in by such a cheap trick. Perhaps we will need to channel this Armament Haki of yours to prevent that from happening again._ '

Sultan's words may have rattled his brain, but it was the familiar sound of Nami creating bubbles from the recesses of her Clima Tact that finally forced him to turn around and face her. Feet apart, fingers twirling at immense speeds despite the pain she must be in, brows digging deep above her worried gaze, she was definitely a powerful image to behold. "Whatever is doing this to you," she declared angrily, channeling her fear into strength that was typical of her character, "I'm not letting it take us down! Zoro, you have to keep fighting! I—"

' _Silence her._ '

Together, Kitetsu, Shusei and the Wadou sliced through the air from the distance in which their wielder stood and struck the woman beneath the pitch black cloud. The pressure of the wind in the air disturbed the lightning cloud above her head just as it plagued her skin with aerial cuts; the angle Zoro had used to deliver his blows allowed for a trio of synchronized lacerations that all required a second or two before they would burst open to maim the once beautiful body of his nakama.

One cut over her nose while barely missing her eyes, the blood highlighting just how widely they had opened in surprise.

The second mimicked the very same scar he wore from his battle against Mihawk. Her bikini top was no longer in one piece.

Finally, her bare torso was butchered so fiercely that it was surely her bloodiest injury thus far.

All while Roronoa Zoro stood there and watched what someone was doing to her with the honed power inside of his body.

After a short time had passed, the strangled sound of Nami's voice was heard behind the spray of blood that shot forth from her injuries. His power was enough to send her body reeling backwards, yet she was ever a surprise with how she managed to land on her knees and anchor herself in place. The pain she endured was surely new to her and the staggering way in which she tried to collect herself looked like a caged animal refusing to go down peacefully. If he had been himself, panic would have seized him when he noticed the life that was leaving her eyes with each and every attempt she made to move.

If there was any consciousness he still controlled within his mind, Zoro would have begged her to play dead if only to procure her life for a tad bit longer.

Sultan cared not for her suspension of vitality, as made evident by his stiff command, ' _This should not be taking you so long. She wields a metal staff, for heaven's sake. Break it with your Haki if you need to and bring me her head._ '

Faster than he had ever imbued them before, his Armament Haki coated all three of his precious blades, ready to take the navigator's life. The mindless way in which he watched these horrific events unfold before him did not allow for even Kitetsu to sense something amiss within his body and behave as disobediently as it did long ago; nothing could protect Nami from the manner in which he was about to kill her, and it would not be until well after the fact that it would even faze the swordsman she had most likely once cherished in her heart. The silence inside of him as Sultan watched what was about to occur raised goosebumps on his skin and helped him to grit his teeth on the Wadou's hilt even harder, and yet he still could not garner any more control over himself in order to spare his nakama's life.

He did not need to race towards her – Nami did not have the strength to move, let alone run, or even attempt to strike him down with one of her Heat or Cold Eggs. Swords at the ready, the first mate of the Mugiwara prepared himself to execute his cruelly selected _Tora Gari_ attack. At such a close range, he was known to end the lives of two men at once; the wounded, shuddering, barely conscious navigator would meet her end by the sharp ends of his swords without any effort, their Haki-infused state resulting in a dramatic overkill. Regardless, nothing was in Roronoa Zoro's control as he began to strike.

"Th-Thunder…"

' _Hm?_ '

"B-Bolt Tem…po." Nami muttered in a way that was almost inaudible, yet the instincts of the man who had endured that attack one too many times before tensed at her words.

' _What is it? Why are you—? No!_ '

In a literal flash, the once darkened space illuminated with the brilliant crackle of lightning that was akin to Nami's formidable weapon. Her entire being looked as though she had bathed in her own blood under the dazzling light – the ooze that spilled from her body having heavily stained both her disheveled clothes and her once lustrous hair – as she fell to the ground while her attack struck its target without remorse. Zoro did not understand why, but he regained his consciousness in the split second before he was bombarded by a vicious multitude of electric shocks that tore through his body like never before. The sight of his non-conductive blades in their protective condition provided him with enough sense to guard his entire body in the same way, just in time to avoid the true brunt of her attack. For nearly half a minute, he endured the assault of the currents attacking the black armour his body was coated with while trying to regain his senses as to what it meant to be in control of himself once again.

However, none of that mattered the instant that the room darkened once again.

Sultan was gone, Zoro remained, and he was forced to awaken from his temporary lapse to the sight of a severely mutilated Nami lying on the ground in front of him. He choked on the mere concept of speaking words to her as he fell onto his knees with a lifeless thud. "N-Nami…" was all he could say, the only word he could process as the reality he was forced to face laid motionless before his eyes. For the first time in his life, the infamous swordsman allowed his blades to fall from his hands as if he could not bear to acknowledge them after committing such treacherous, horrendous acts with them, by his hands.

Had he just… _killed_ Nami?

Instantly, his heart processed his feelings of remorse, regret and powerlessness by transforming them all into rage. Caring not for the strain it would cause on his vocal chords that had been rendered useless for far too long, he bellowed with all of his might, " _LUFFYYY! CHOPPERRR! HEEELP!_ " She had mentioned that they were present on the island – he remembered everything that happened to him under Sultan's reign, slowly but surely – and he could only hope that his captain's dumb luck had rubbed off on his navigator, that their crew's doctor was near enough to arrive in time and save her life. The only knowledge he knew to potentially rescue her from death's door was to avoid moving her until Chopper arrived, given that he could not possibly apply proper pressure to every single fissure he had carved into her skin—

"ZO- _RO_! Where are you!?" He heard his captain shout from somewhere nearby.

"Luffy! OVER—"

His response was silenced when Chopper's voice rang throughout the nearby hall, "Wait a minute! I smell… Oh no, that's Nami's blood!"

Guilt gripped the awaiting first mate's heart so tightly, it felt as though it could have prevented it from beating. But no, the fear that had kept him grounded in place inspired a pulse that thrummed in his neck without consideration for his attrition. Zoro could not look away from the sight of the navigator keeled over from pain and blood loss and most likely terror, and yet, he did not examine her body; the scene was absolutely traumatic to his delicate psyche without needing to stare into the half-lidded gaze she gave to the floor, or the nearly non-existent rise and fall of her back as if she no longer had the strength to breathe. _He_ had put her into such an exanimate state, and he did not have the right to avert his eyes while waiting for help to arrive.

However, when it did, a pair of rubber-like hands gripped his robe's collar and dared to try and lift him off of his knees. "Zoro," came the enraged, hardened voice of the typically carefree Monkey D. Luffy, as if he was ready to end his first mate's life for the sake of his navigator, "What. happened. here?" Though the young doctor tried to protest the aggressive response his captain was experiencing to Nami's well-being having been compromised, it was all he could do to examine the bleeding body of the woman who they had all considered to be family; it made perfect sense that he was being made to answer for his crimes to the one man who had the capacity to gut him in the same way he had hurt _her_.

Lowly, without hesitation, he admitted, "I did it. I attacked her."

At once, a pronounced Pistol-like punch landed against his cheek. Defenseless and without concern for his own safety, Zoro allowed for his body to be thrown across the darkened space and crash into the poorly structured wall. Instead of allowing himself to emit any cries of pain, the building groaned as its stance was compromised by the impact. In response, Chopper yelled at his captain with genuine rage, "Luffy, _stop_! If this building falls, it will hurt Nami more, so knock it OFF!" The severity of her livelihood only became more of harsh truth when Tony Tony Chopper could not remain calm when looking over her abominable condition.

He had hoped, on some level, that Luffy would worsen his state of being when he was lifted from the ground in order for him to suffer a fate worse than the one he had mindlessly delivered to their navigator. Zoro had seen that look on the future pirate king's face many times before; he had fought beside him in states such as this, where it seemed as though the rest of the world was nothing but white noise when his current adversary stood before him. And in his clutches, was one of the men he must have hated the most in his entire life. But to the swordsman's unarmed surprise, a fight did not break out; with great control, Luffy ground out one simple word in inquiry, "Why?"

And it was in that moment that Zoro lost control of himself once again, only this time, it was to his own emotions. He tried to shut his eyes as tightly as he possibly could, grit his teeth until they shattered against one another, all while hanging limply in his captain's clutches – Roronoa Zoro had been reduced to a weak, sobbing mess of a man before he could even provide an answer. Nothing he could say seemed to be worthy of justifying anything that had happened to her.

Nami was struck down by his swords.

He had killed the Mugiwara navigator with his irrefutable strength.

There was no mercy shown when her life slipped away by the power of his honed might.

He would not apologize, since it would not bring her back. He would not expect forgiveness, as he would never be able to move past the heinous way in which he had conducted himself today. He would never forget the look on her face when she cried, when she tried to rescue him, when she had succumbed to her wounds; his life, nor anyone else's in their crew would ever be the same again, and he was entirely to blame. The only thing Zoro felt he could do with his emotions – with what remained of his pride as a swordsman – was hunt down the bastard Sultan and end his life as gruesomely as he had forced him to end Nami's. In his fit of emotional turmoil, he managed to gargle the word, "S-Sul- _tan_." with absolute hatred and rancor.

It was only after he spoke his enemy's name did Luffy drop his body made of dead weight to the ground. He fell with a thud, only to grip his head in his hands and dig his fingertips into it, trying to reach the very mind that had been so easily controlled and manipulated into stealing away his nakama's life. His weakness tore through him, but he still was not suffering enough in comparison to the redheaded woman who was slowly being lifted into Luffy's arms. "Zoro," barked his captain without looking at him, "Let's go." Without waiting to see if he would turn around, the doctor followed after the departing rubber man and the bloody woman in his arms, the sound of paws rushed passed in order to keep up with the nervous paces set on taking her to the Medical Bay on their ship.

Behind them wandered a soulless man who followed due to honour and responsibility, not out of right.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

This will be a trilogy with an epilogue (a tetralogy?) that is already completed. This is my first time posting a story and having completed the entire thing before uploading, so updates will happen promptly! I won't promise dates to upload the rest on or by, since I might even post the next chapter tomorrow!

I look forward to hearing from you all, and seeing what you think of my attempt at throwing in some angst to the ZoNami relationship. Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Sharpen

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED OR I'LL BASH YOUR SKULL IN, ZORO!" For Sanji to ignore the use of their insulting nicknames, it only proved how much of a puppet he had become to his own feelings of abhorrence to the man standing before him.

Luffy had managed to usher Nami into the infirmary just as the distressed first mate stepped onto the lawn deck of the Thousand Sunny. The man who was normally at his throat for just about anything immediately grabbed hold of his robe in the exact same way Luffy had a few minutes ago, hoping to shake the truth from his otherwise silent persona, it would seem. One by one, the rest of the Mugiwara stumbled out from their different placements on the ship and tossed their stares between the dejected man before them and the blood spatters that led towards Chopper's office.

"Cook-san, please stop it." Begged Robin, even though uncertainty shone through in her eyes. Never one to immediately act, it was clear that the severity of the situation spoke to her and gave her reason to panic. At her side, Franky looked to be quite serious too.

Usopp shakily nodded and lifted his hands in defense, trying to pacify his friend, "Yeah, yelling at him isn't going to get you anywhere—"

"WHO CARES!? Nami-san came back to us bleeding, dying…and with CUTS all over her body! His legs are covered in her BLOOD! …And I'm supposed to stay calm until he feels like TALKING!?" His planter foot set, Sanji lifted his other leg to swipe at his infamous rival's head without any hesitation. Or rather, he had attempted to deliver some sort of attack; his movements were hindered by a multitude of ladylike arms wrapping around his body and holding down his fury. The uninvolved nakama glanced at Nico Robin with slight shock on their faces, given the evident concern that had morphed into unsteady anger resting on hers. She fought his might with a considerable amount of her own, refusing to allow him to take out his potential grief on such an easy target and go onto upset the Mugiwara further.

Admiring her pluck, Brook stepped forward and managed to separate Zoro from Sanji's unrelenting grip. Carefully, he spoke, "We need to understand what happened, don't we? We won't be able to do that if you put a crack in his skull to match mine. Let's give him a moment to collect himself so he can tell us what happened to our dear Nami-san, all right?" Treading lightly with his joke, the gentleman swordsman was the one to come to the aid of his fellow blade-wielder. The darkness in the night sky did not seem to hold a candle to Zoro in the crew's eyes, yet they still wished to hear his retelling of the events that led to Nami's suffering.

Sanji battled with his emotions for quite some time after Brook's words, and for that reason, Robin did not release him from her clutch. Standing in front of him, Zoro could see that the blond man was still visibly shaking as he waged war with his fear for the navigator's wellbeing and his respect for the archaeologist who held him in her grasps. However, the situation being what it was did not mean that he was ready to recount his appalling actions for the rest of his nakama; whether he was still thought of as family to them after the events that had occurred on this dreadful island, that did not mean he had to verbally admit all to them as if he stood before a judge and jury.

The only person he wanted to crucify him was Nami herself.

"Zoro, just tell us what happened. Please." Came the pleading voice of Usopp.

Nodding in agreement, Franky lent his strength, "We just want to know. No one is blaming you for Girlie's condition, all right?"

He could not find the desire to speak. His respect for his nakama had nothing to do with his need to stay quiet – coming to terms with what had happened with _his_ body was a great deal heavier than answering their curiosities. Accepting Nami's fate was something he had to prepare himself for, as well. Riddled with disgusting emotions, the first mate could barely stand to look at those whom he called family, let alone divulge the truth of his battle with their navigator. If he had the strength to, he could have quite easily foreseen Robin releasing the chef just to allow him to be beaten within an inch of his life; the hands at his side had never felt so heavy after utilizing his swords in such a way, and yet he knew that he would not even search for the strength to combat Sanji's rage if that was to be the case.

"Tell us what happened, Zoro." Was Luffy's emergence into the conversation. All eyes rose to witness him step down the stairs from the upper deck as he made his way to join the rest of them. His expression was now empty – no anger, no friendliness – as he joined the rest of them in their interrogation of Zoro.

Usopp stepped forward and immediately asked, hands balled into fists and shaking with concern, "Luffy! How's Nami? What did Chopper say?"

"He doesn't know yet. We'll have to wait and see." Just as the look on his face, his tone was blank and gave no indication as to how he truly felt.

Such a dissatisfying report relayed from their doctor, all eyes returned to that of the first mate's. Anxiety hummed throughout the deck and began to topple the patience many had tried to exude. But for Zoro, he knew that there was nothing else he could do but obey Luffy when he was in this mood, this irrefutable wall that demanded much more respect than any angry front he had ever put up himself. Taking in a deep breath, he looked away from all of those who stared him down and replied, "I told you Luffy. I—"

"I want the whole story," clarified his captain, his tone still vacant of any indication to how he felt, "From the moment you left us to search this place, to the moment I found you with Nami." The mere mention of her name sent the bound chef into a frenzy, resulting in Franky offering to take over Robin's duty of holding him back; the moment her Devil's Fruit-made arms disappeared, a pair of massive mechanical hands attempted to corral the emotional mess of a man.

Externally, he could very have owned that title.

"We came here because you said you were looking for someone. Who was he, an old friend of yours?" Usopp questioned, his voice fluctuating with an obvious intent to stay steady.

Zoro's immediate response to even hearing a mention of his old companion being associated with the word 'friend' revved the engine that was his anger. "He is NOT my friend! He was a man I once trusted, but never AGAIN!" Seething like a rabid animal, Zoro slammed his fist against the wall of the Sunny that stood behind him and upon feeling the impact, promptly turned to smash both of his tightly clenched hands – now in his complete control – against the Adam's Wood-made railing. His display was met with silence by many.

"Who is he?" Luffy wanted to know, having a right to hear of the despicable man's purpose.

It was taking a great deal more of his depleted energy to remain in their presence, speak to them and revisit the memories of anything pertaining to Sultan Bradshaw. The taint of this evening seeped into every flash of remembrance he had of the man within his mind; their times traveling together; the bounties they shared; the occasional voyage with Johnny and Yosaku. His past had never been worth remembering until he reached that dojo and began his training to become the world's greatest swordsman, and now it felt as if anything between that time and meeting Luffy wasn't worth recollecting either. Hoping to expel his possession completely by speaking his name, Zoro answered his captain, "Sultan Bradshaw – a bounty hunter I once knew."

"A bounty hunter, you say? So you've known him since before you became a pirate." Brook surmised, trying to piece together a puzzle where he had yet received ever single piece.

Again, it was Luffy whose words spoke directly to Zoro's integrity and respectfulness with the intent of learning the entire truth, "What does he have to do with Nami?"

"Nothing!" blurted out the riled swordsman as he spun around at the waist to look into Luffy's own pair of lifeless eyes, "He didn't have anything to do with her! He was just…using her to get to me. She showed up first to find me and her fate was sealed." Of course she had been the first to locate him, he realized now, in retrospect. Nami was the navigator – even without his coordinates, was it any wonder that she had appeared before him, before any other Mugiwara had?

"What does that mean?" Robin interrogated him, her tone firmer than a simple conversation would have allowed.

"There is no guarantee that she's not gonna make it." Franky boldly said what everyone had been silently praying for.

Zoro barked back, "She WON'T! Didn't you see what I DID TO HER!?"

"ZORO!" Again, his attention was called for by the one man on the ship who had the power to ask of it, and again, that same man posed a question he had blatantly asked before, "Why?"

What was he to admit to, the guilty man could not help but think. It did not matter how it happened – it was by _his_ blades that she was cut down, bleeding out in Chopper's Medical Bay. _His_ style of fighting delivered three precise wounds to her body that marred her from her forehead to her hip. It was _his_ past comrade who had dragged her into such a ridiculous feud, making her pay the greatest cost she ever could: her life, for his attempted safety. Nami had done what all of the other Mugiwara had tried to do in reclaiming him from Sultan's grasps and yet it was _she_ who was fighting for her life now, not him. There was no God in this world, proven by the cruelty that had befallen one of his oldest, truest nakama.

Even so, against his better judgement, the longer they entertained the idea of holding off his mutiny or sorts, Zoro could not compel himself to remain silent any longer. Disappointed with the weakness he had already shown by allowing himself to be… _brainwashed_ the way he was, he was even more disgusted with himself when he realized just how desperately he hoped to relieve his own distress by admitting the truth of the situation to those before him. Confessing that he was merely a puppet to the devilish bounty hunter's scheme would not change the past, yet he hoped his nakama would see past his involvement and forgive him. He was not worthy of their kindness should they choose to look past his transgressions, but he dared to want it.

The only thing he desired more was Nami's unlikely survival.

"H-He's a Devil's Fruit User" – though he could not explain it, he started to shake as he revealed all – "The Puppet Puppet Fruit user, who can control his target—I-I don't know how he does it! He wasn't anywhere nearby! I saw him when I landed on the island, and the next thing I knew, I was waiting in that room for someone to find me! And Nami did, and I—"

"That Devil's Fruit's power involves a person's shadow." Cutting off his tyrant of an explanation, it was none other than Nico Robin who stepped forward and chose to help the swordsman clear his name.

"You know about it, Robin?" only somewhat surprised, Usopp turned to face the older woman with a look of definite intrigue and faith; he was surely hoping she would find a way to clear Zoro's name as the possible murderer of one of his best friends.

She nodded sharply, then turned to Luffy and his serious expression to explain, "Unlike Moria's power, it does not steal your entire shadow, but rather a piece of it in order to control its victim. Like an intangible vivre card, it connects the user to whomever they choose to manipulate. The user can go as far as to decide the person's thoughts, speech or actions and dispel all individual inclinations, fighting off all instincts. The only drawback to this fruit is that light can easily end the connection if shone brightly around the victim; if they are shrouded in darkness, it strengthens the user's control, much like how moss requires little to no sunlight to grow."

"That's amazing, that you know so much about it," praised the relieved skeleton of a man, "Have you encountered this particular Devil's Fruit before?"

A tad contrite to admit such a thing, Robin revealed, "A member of Baroque Works had this power at one point, but was killed by The Unluckies and the fruit was considered to be lost, recycled into the world again. He was a frontier agent until he died because of the impressive power he held. Criminals typically do their best work at night, after all." Her slight tangent died out slowly, with the help of the cyborg at her side offering her a pat on the shoulder; this night was bound to be a challenging one, and Franky had certainly sensed the welling emotions inside of the woman at his side.

What he failed to properly pay attention to was the royally enraged chef who was able to bypass his hold when distracted; Sanji shot himself overtop of Franky's massive hand and charged toward Zoro, the explanation of his situation having supposedly fallen on deaf ears. The infuriated expression on the love cook's face was anything but friendly, and his intention to skin the swordsman alive was visible to anyone, Haki user or no.

"Sanji, stop it!" Shouted a disgruntled Usopp as he attempted to slide between the mindless man and his target, "Didn't you hear what Robin just said!? It wasn't his fault!"

Though he had been slowed down by the interference that was the marksman's physical insertion into his path, Sanji refused to back down, "I heard, all right! He was controlled, but that doesn't change the fact that he—"

"I don't care what you THINK! Robin said it wasn't his fault, so it WASN'T his FAULT!" Along with his angry words spitting from his mouth, Usopp's tears flew about his head when he shook it in protest of Sanji's wild ways. No one dared to move as they witnessed his protective stance in front of Zoro, with even the man he was guarding appearing surprised by the gesture, "There is enough going on without you two FIGHTING! Get upset or whatever, but don't blame Zoro for this; if you want to help Nami, either we let Chopper do what he needs to do and wait, or we hunt down this Sultan guy ourselves! Either way, you AREN'T going after Zoro for this one! I won't let you!"

"Robin," piped up the captain after witnessing the volatile nature of his nakama at such a sensitive time, "Does he need to be in range for his powers to work?"

Franky's hand seemingly giving her support to stand, she clarified, "It depends on the extent of his powers and how he has mastered them. He could very well still be on the island. Or, he could have escaped long before and kept his control of Zoro while at sea."

"Meaning we won't know until we search it." Was the abrupt conclusion Franky tacked on to Robin's answer.

"Top to bottom." Agreed Brook.

Luffy nodded as well, and surprised the lot of them as he cleverly said, "We'll need to choose who goes and who stays carefully; if this Sultan guy can take control of our bodies with a small piece of our shadows and he's still here, then we need to make sure that the people who go can handle themselves."

"And that we can handle _them_ if they're sent back here to kill us." Finally having calmed after the blunt scolding he received, Sanji straightened his pose and took the longest drag on his recently lit cigarette that any of them had ever seen. He could have lit it with the anger that continued to burn brightly around his body; the only thing that was keeping him from finishing his task of ending the swordsman's life was most likely the prospect of killing his manipulator first.

Immediately, everyone aside from Zoro began to discuss their options aloud. To begin, Brook pointed out, "Chopper-san will definitely be stationed here, in order to care for Nami-san. I, however, would like to try my hand at taking on a shadow-user in the name of my nakama; he will not get away with what he did to Nami-san, nor Zoro-san. It's unforgiveable."

Franky surprised them all by releasing a rowdy chuckle at the chance to offer his services. "Have you all forgotten? I come equipped with Nipple Lights; I'm the best person to send out there after this guy! He tries to do anything and – BAM! I'll blind him with these bad boys!" To demonstrate, he motioned to the obvious placement to where his nipples would be, but the rest of the crew had already turned their heads away to carry on delegating their roles.

"I'm going too! He can't get away with this!" Growled a fiery Luffy; having accepted the explanation given, it seemed that the leader of the Mugiwara had reverted to his usual state and was prepared to showcase himself for their latest enemy.

However, to his great dismay, it was Sanji who shot out his hand in a measure to cut off the evident enthusiasm that was brimming from his captain. "No, Luffy," he commanded, eyes shut, "If you get controlled, we won't have any sure-fire defences left against this guy. You need to stay here to protect the Sunny and watch over Nami for me. I'll go with Brook and Franky, and—"

"Don't forget about me!" The proud Usopp hollered while pointing a mighty thumb to his chest. With his Kabuto strapped to his back, his satchel filled to the brim with his necessary ammo, and a heart thumping with motivation, he proclaimed, "I won't let this guy get away with what he did, either! I'm going with you guys!" His inclusion was met without any protest, and therefore, the marksman was added to the traveling party.

Robin was never given the chance to throw herself into the fray; feeling the momentum from the riled spirits of his nakama, Zoro threw his hat into the ring, "Right, let's go."

"No, Zoro."

The mood that had steadily cooled was once again ignited when Luffy issued an order to his first mate. The conversation died instantaneously before a warning hiss was given in response, " _Luffy_."

"The four of them are enough."

That answer meant nothing to the enraged swordsman, "That doesn't matter! This all happened because he knows ME! He used me to hurt HER! I am going after him and I will collect the bounty on HIS head, for what he's done!" The scathing remark was surely untrue, but the idea that he would collect money in an act of revenge for Nami's sake was entirely fitting in the eyes of those who listened to his outburst.

Even so, his captain still refused to allow his leave, "We'll need you here if anything does happen to them. The Sunny can't be attacked or Nami could get worse; if that happens, you, me and Robin have to protect her and the ship."

"Then keep someone else back! I have more of a right to go than anyone else—"

"GUYS!" Intruding in the rising dispute was none other than the doctor treating their injured nakama, Chopper, and his voice was filled with a great deal of urgency, "I need someone to come help me, right away!"

While many of the Mugiwara were momentarily stunned with great concern to hear that the handy doctor required assistance in treating Nami's wounds, it was none other than the other female nakama Robin who raced towards the infirmary without any sort of hesitation. Ever devoted to her surrogate family, it was in moments such as these where her naturally loving heart shined, despite the heavy waves of worry that radiated off of her body as she made her way to the upper deck.

Panicked more so than before, Zoro became even more difficult to converse with then. "See!? She could be dying, and Sultan needs to suffer for it! I'm GOING, Luffy, and you can't—"

"Oh, Nami, give me strength." Whispered a familiar voice from behind him.

"—stop me! I'll kill him myself!" And with that last claim to his strength made, Zoro received an authoritative punch to the back of the head that managed to knock him down and out. One of Usopp's 'almighty' cheers was the last thing he heard before the darkness of unconsciousness took him, his anger being the last sensation he could comprehend as he was forced to take a nap for the very first time in his entire life...

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Wow, I was so surprised and so happy to see such a positive response to this story! It makes me want to go above and beyond what I have already written, so we shall see~

Hope you enjoyed~


	3. Sheath

"…will be the last transfusion, hopefully."

"You won't be able to give blood now for quite some time."

"I know, meaning I'll have to turn to the S-type blood members of the crew to donate to her next, if she needs more." Those terms went over Zoro's head as he slowly began to awaken, the medical jargon of something as simple as blood types having been lost on him even in an entirely conscious state.

The feminine voice of Robin promptly responded, with complete understanding of the doctor's words, "I'm more than willing to donate my blood to her if she needs it still."

"Mm, thank you, Robin." Chopper said while sounding quite focused on whatever currently had him occupied—

"NAMI!" Zoro screamed, leaping up from his awkward resting pose against the wall of the infirmary. His sudden exclamation caused the unsuspecting doctor to cry out in fright, tossing his hooves in the air. Thankfully, the Flower Flower Fruit user was able to create her extra hands and hold the blood bag and its attached needle in place, a frown very faintly visible on her face as she steadied the transfusion. She herself was seated on the bed of the infirmary while Chopper had been standing on the seat of his swivel chair. Next to them, laid the unconscious patient who was in need of the blood of more than just one crew member in order to simply survive.

Nami.

As the temporary nurse handed the medical materials back to the doctor, Zoro rose from his seat with slight reluctance to approach the bedside. The side of him that was a man, who had been forged over the course of his hardened lifetime demanded that he bear witness to the destruction he had caused. Meanwhile, the Mugiwara first mate's portion of his being could barely stand to be in the same room as the severely injured woman, though he dare not admit it to anyone. The sight of the top of her head and her tucked in frame was enough to send his heart into a nearly Sanji-like hysteria; he was not deserving to be in the same space as her, especially while she was still suffering from the cuts he had delivered.

'Cuts' was putting it lightly; he had butchered Nami by his own swords.

Just as a grimace befell his face, Robin suddenly stood and told Chopper, "I'll go get us something to drink, and a snack." Though her words were simple, her decision to leave the room had clearly been well thought out inside her mind as she walked with great purpose towards the door and exited the Medical Bay without delay. Then, it was only himself at the young doctor there to watch over Nami in her unconscious state. And it was in that moment that Zoro realized he had never felt more uncomfortable as he was in that very instance – he was a pirate, he committed crimes daily, but he had never been made to answer for one such as this.

"She's stabilizing," Chopper disclosed Nami's condition without being prompted, without looking to the man standing a few feet away, "but she did experience hypovolemic shock, so I think she'll be in here for a while."

"W-What does" – he could not believe he wanted to know the finer details of her fate, but with some rest, his integrity seemed to be somewhat restored – "that mean?"

He could have sworn that he witnessed the young reindeer doctor frown as he explained, "It means that there wasn't enough air and blood traveling throughout her body. Some of her organs were at risk for shutting down, which is why I called for someone to come help me earlier. It was hard for me to manage her blood loss _and_ clean her wounds in order to stitch them up."

"But she'll make it?" Boldly asked the first mate, daring to take a cautious step forward. Seeing the Mugiwara doctor remove the needle in Nami's right arm triggered a frigid chill to scale Zoro's body as he witnessed the clean pull, followed quickly by the applied pressure of a cotton swab to where the sharp point had been imbedded.

"I'm doing my best to make sure she survives. And even if she does, I have to make sure she doesn't have any permanent organ damage after this. She's sleeping on her own because her body needs to get its strength back, but I'll need to give her an IV drip with nutrients since she isn't conscious and able to take them herself. Can you assemble my IV pole for me please?" One pointed hoof motioned towards the corner in which Zoro had just risen from, next to his desk and cabinetry.

The moment he had awoken, Zoro would have never suspected that he would be dragged into assisting in Nami's recovery. However, it felt like a proper distraction from his woes to help revive her from her most likely anemic and tragic state. Looking about for the metal pieces he was meant to combine, the swordsman clumsily retrieved the handful of pieces from their storage and worked quite hard to assemble the required device without delay or misconduct. When he was able to stand it up next to his height, he was certain that he performed the task adequately enough. Then it was time to bring it over to the bedside of the woman who was in need of his aid.

Swallowing down his unease and unjust self-preservation, Roronoa Zoro wheeled the IV pole to Chopper and for the first time since he had stared at her defeated pose did he lay his eyes on the wounded Nami.

To say he gasped was an understatement – the sight of her unfortunately stole the air from his lungs in a very uncomplimentary way. There was a painfully evident gash traveling from her forehead down to the corner of her jaw, horizontally marring her face. His mind immediately recalled that there were two more lacerations that corresponded with the one he had carved into her face; he was forced to stare at the Wadou Ichimonji's handiwork now. He had never associated the markings he made with his blades with what someone would define as beauty, but he knew in that instant, that he had never made an uglier cut in all of his time as a swordsman.

So engrossed with his horror that he failed to notice the reindeer-man leap down from his favourite chair, locate the proper IV in his apparent stash, then return to use the IV pole for its intended purpose. The fluid, professional stitches that had sewn her back together again would more than likely guide her down the road to a proper recovery…but would his wounds ever truly leave her body? Her self-inflicted scar was an act of rage, of pain and an inability to cope with her life at the time any longer – his slices along her skin had no right to tarnish the well-kept, womanly body of Nami the navigator, the woman who dreamed to make a map of the world.

How would he have felt if someone had taken away his chance to become the World's Greatest Swordsman?

Unintentionally, to silence his morbid dwelling, Chopper required the first mate's usefulness once again. With a gentle yet authoritative voice, he spun gently in his chair after confirming the setup of the IV to say, "You'll need to stay here and hold the pole in place."

"W-What?" Zoro answered with obvious shock and an undertone of distress.

"If anything happens to the ship, or the others come back under that guy's spell and make us fight them, that could cause Nami a lot of problems. No matter what, this IV needs to stay in place and give her the nutrients she needs. Got it?" Never before had he seen Chopper appear so serious; was it possible that he held Zoro accountable for what had happened to Nami? Was he trying to charge the first mate with watching over the navigator in a forced act of repentance?

Aversely due to his own state of being, the swordsman had no choice and took on the role of her stationed guard and attendant. Once the word was given, the doctor relaxed and slowly revealed just how worn he was from his time treating the wounded navigator. Whether it was due to his own form of blood loss or a weariness caused by mental and physical strain, Chopper thanked Zoro for accepting the task and sluggishly made his way toward the kitchen, where Robin was supposedly preparing something for them to eat while the chef was away.

Thinking in the nearly deserted infirmary, the first mate could not help but wonder where his captain currently was, given that he was so very panicked the last time Nami was ill.

His lone eye was fixated on the door that closed behind the doctor for quite some time before he dared to move. Night still loomed over the Sunny outside the Medical Bay, as made evident by the mute way in which world carried itself. It felt much too eerie to simply sit with this responsibility of holding a single IV pole in place for an indeterminate number of hours, and usually he would sleep to ward away any such discomfort. But now that he was alone with her, as she laid in bed while fighting for her life, Roronoa Zoro dared to challenge himself with facing his horrific actions on his own.

He turned his large body in own foul swoop so as to avoid thinking about anything, any more than he already had. This entire experience had made him feel so unlike himself; he would rather face a new facet of her personality than deal with grieving someone important in his life ever again. Even in her worrisome condition, Nami's expression refused to appear weakened by the suffrage she had endured and he secretly admired her for it. There entire nakama was tenacious, yet there had always been a self-made, hardened vitality to the redheaded troublemaker that he could not—

A sharp punch was sent into his cheek. In a time such as this, he should not, would not label her as anything less than what she was: a powerful friend, a brilliant woman, and the person who had shown up first to save him when he needed someone to come to his aid. She was the navigator – she could find anyone, anything, and she was always pointing him in the proper direction to go. When he had lived his life as a man who was secretly directionally-impaired, Nami had been an impressive entity that had possessed a skill he had never mastered. Though she had not been combative originally, she was not a woman to be trifled with and that was where his respect for her had grown from.

What he wouldn't give to hear her bark orders at him and force him to give her piggyback rides again if it meant she would pull through this tragedy.

"Nami…" Before he could comprehend it, her name had been thrown from his lips. It was but a whisper, and yet, it held the power to bring him to his knees beside her once again. How he wanted to torture himself further and rip back her sheets if only to see the extent to which he had afflicted her, however, he knew it was not fair of him to potentially cause her any more discomfort for the sake of emotionally harming his psyche further. The matted blood in her hair and the angry slash on her face should have been enough to supply him with a reason to feel ashamed. The sight of her closed eyes on either side of the wound gave the impression that he had killed her as he had many others, and it was nearly killing him to think that he could not destroy the man responsible for his trio of swords having been raised against the woman sleeping before him.

A strong desire to slam his fists against something once again arose. With one hand holding onto the IV pole, the other could have very easily landed on the bed, but he chose to shake it a few time in grave agitation instead. Zoro felt so lost, so confused inside of himself, that all he could do was toss himself into a seat next to her bed and release an unrecognizable sound in response to the situation he had found himself in. Never before had his wayward mannerisms caused him so much harm, because it had not directly harmed _him_. "Last time you were sick," he muttered to himself, thinking that he had to say more than just her name if only to behave coherently, "I watched over you like this too." She had pulled through a nearly killer fever – he so desperately wanted to believe that she would defeat his power, as well.

Worn already from this encounter with her, Zoro chose to station himself on the floor at her bedside and add another wish to his list: that he could sleep through the silence and dread, and awaken to a world in which Nami was saved from the pain, the scars, the fear she most likely would feel when she encountered him once again. Being truly unconscious – without another person forcing him to forfeit such control – was the only place in which he would find some reprieve from the nightmare that was his reality now. Just as he hoped Nami was, as well. Would she be able to look at him? Would she accept him if he was to stay with the Mugiwara? She would decide his fate, the way he had almost decided hers. It was the only form of respect he could properly show her, after everything that had transpired between them.

It was all he had left to give…

"Mmm," whimpered the very woman he thought of the entire time he had slept, even though he went without dreams. Awaking suddenly from his lackluster slumber, Zoro spun around to face the rising navigator, having a small brush with relief at the sound of her voice. That is, until she said, "Ow…my face…it hurts."

"Ah…" The words he might have spoken were ripped from his mouth before he had even considered what he would have said. There she lay, with one arm jabbed with an IV drip, the other gradually rising from beneath her blanket to touch the row of stitches embedded in her face. He watched with great concern as her eyes shot up as she felt the wound that had been forcibly closed by medical means, her breathing intensifying when she recognized the first of many sources of discomfort for her body to endure.

"W-What ha—Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ooow!" She cried in pain, all while forcing herself to rise. It was as if laying motionless was not an option for her, regardless of the condition she was in. Nami failed to properly recognize the swordsman at her side when she tore off the comforter that had kept her warm and safe temporarily, now forced to witness the revealed scars that covered her from her shoulder to her hip. She had double the scars that he had now, and the fact that they matched could not have been more disturbing. Especially to the woman who had to endure her now injured state, then face the once trusted friend who delivered them to her.

Those expressive chocolate-coloured eyes of hers rolled over the infirmary if only to collect her bearings, yet it wasn't until they landed on Zoro himself that the understanding of her situation set in. It didn't matter that she was essentially topless aside from the slashes that covered her; Nami threw herself back against the wall and very aggressively edged the IV drip out of her arm when she saw who was sitting next to her bedside. "Z-Zoro," she said his name as if they were still in that warehouse, as if he still posed a threat to her life.

Strangled as he tried to speak, the swordsman replied, "Nami…" And his speech died out once again. What was he to say to her after all he had done? There were no words that would repair her body, no sentiment that would reverse the damage he had done to their relationship. The sickening feeling of loss of Nami's presence, loyalty, care in his life rose from deep in his belly and filled with an overpowering rush of anxious nausea. By the look on her face, he was never going to regain her friendship after this.

That bastard Sultan had taken so much from him and he hadn't even intended to keep her alive; facing his wounded nakama was a greater punishment than accepting her death.

It had been excruciating once before to recount what had happened while he was Sultan's puppet. Worse, it had been the emotional equivalent to Mihawk's battle back at the Baratie. He had to remind himself that if Nami felt a fraction of that, than she was mighty indeed. If he had overcome those wounds have faced Hachi and Arlong for her, than he could very well own up to his mistakes – his unforgiveable misdeeds – and explain to her why exactly she would be forced to wear his wounds for the rest of her life. She had a right to the knowledge and he owed her so much.

Sitting as if he was about to commence a ceremony, Zoro still held her IV pole in one hand as he kneeled before her. "Nami," he began again, ready now to accept whatever his fate may bring him, "I…I want you to know that I…I wasn't _me_ when I did that to you. I couldn't stop what was happening, or even try to! I was…Rrgh, a man I once knew named Sultan was using his Devil's Fruit powers on me and made me attack you. I…I'm very sorry for what happened!" And he tossed his forehead to the ground, hitting it with a pronounced thud as he bowed to further extend the meaning of his apology. He kneeled there for quite some time, stretching his back muscles as he awaited for any sign of her recognition or understanding of what his words were implying; he knew that she had seen something off in his persona in the warehouse, but he had no guarantee that that would carry over into her mind when faced with her newly mangled appearance.

She said nothing to indicate as such. In fact, it was almost as if she was testing his strength by forcing him to remain in his keeled over position of regret for as long as he possibly could and observe his possible suffering. Sadly, this sort of endurance was something he greatly excelled at and could have remained in such a state much longer than he would have been able to sit in silence with her and observe the horror in her eyes when she awoke to the sight of him. Nami could very well leave him here for eternity and he would survive quite well in such an oddly meditative pose—

"Zoro," she called to him, her voice faint and almost unheard. It reminded him of when she used her Thunderbolt Tempo against him and unintentionally rescued him in an act to simple fend for her life. Lifting his head due to her summons, the first mate gazed reluctantly at the navigator in order to understand the meaning behind her call, her tone, the volume at which she spoke. What he found awaiting him was a sight he had expected to see long ago, accompanied by words he was quite surprised to hear her say; tears spilling down her cheeks, she asked, "How did you escape him?"

The scene before him was comprised of her genuine cat-like curiosity and a faint hint of relief. For what, he wondered. Was it is safety? Was it the fact that his admittance revealed that _she_ was no longer threatened by his strength? Whatever her reason, he replied honestly and unintentionally, with a tone of great emotion, "You. Your lightning wiped out his control and freed me. I woke up right away and called for Luffy and Chopper to come get you." His voice did not sound familiar to him, when he heard how the emotions inside of him tried to shoot forward from deep in his chest and reveal how his emotions had run amuck since she had collapsed before him, bloodied and dying.

A hiccup, a sniffle, followed by a shaken laugh, Nami lifted her free hand to gently clear away some tears as she said, "Good. I-I'm glad." Then, she showed him the most endearing smile he had ever seen. Luffy's own grin would be put to shame in light of the gleaming one that the navigator offered him. Despite her nudity, her pain and her evident anxiety over both the past event that brought her to the Medical Bay and her uncertain future, she _smiled_ for him and spoke not of any grudge she may carry towards the man who put her there. Even though they were used to bickering with one another more often than not, she did not have the strength to appease him with normality.

Instead, she offered him a genuine smile.

Zoro, at first, did not know what to do. He had berated himself so intensely for the past however many hours as he awaited her verdict on his sentence for causing her such bodily harm. His admiration and his desire to support her moving forward was inconsequential if Nami was no longer comfortable with him by her side, a part of the crew. Yet here he was, on his knees before her without having formally begged for anything from her, and she had supposedly forgiven him for everything that had happened. There were no words that could describe the pure alleviation he felt to know that she was somehow grateful that he had returned to them, that she had saved him more so than he had ever rescued her.

"Nami," he sputtered her Nami while fending off the choking hold of his bubbling solace by her words. That scar on her face could not hide the genuine beauty that was her maturity and her naturally giving heart, "I-I can't…I know I don't deserve any of your forgiveness for what I did. I'll never be able to forgive myself for what he did to you, but I swear that I will never let it happen again. Nothing will ever hurt you like this _ever_ again—"

"Oh, stop," scoffed the navigator, waving off his emotional words so nonchalantly, so inconsiderately while he was impassioned to devote himself to her if she so needed. If it weren't for the solemn tone of their current situation, he surely would have fought back as she carried on, "You can't make a promise like that, can you?"

"Yes, I can! We know light cuts off his connection if he has your shadow, so now I know how to prevent him from possessing me—"

"So what, you're going to carry around a flashlight?" It was obvious she was poking a sleeping giant with her words, yet as usual, Nami did not care. Her voice sounded weaker while she teased him relentlessly, but that did not mean she would cease fire.

Grimacing at her cruel words while trying to remember her health, Zoro pressed on, "I could! If Franky can shine light from his nipples, why can't I carry around a damn flashlight?"

"Why not carry around three? You can hold them like your swords." This time, her smile was more mocking than it was forgiving. So giggly, she failed to notice the twitch in his brow.

"Maybe I could! It doesn't matter – I'll find a way to make his powers—"

Suddenly, his words were silence as he was beckoned forward, "Zoro…come here."

The surprise in his eye was followed by a strange clogged noise coming from his throat as he silenced himself. Her requesting to bring him closer would typically unnerve him due to his common state of avoidance of others. But…it was Nami. Seeing past her nakedness and taking her request as simply as what it was, he leaned in towards her and awaited to know the reason behind her sudden urge to have him close—

The tug on his ear was weaker than it typically was, yet it still made him hiss with great distress when she pinched his lobe so tightly between her fingers. "H-Hey, hey!" Shouted the displeased swordsman, trying to ward away the sharp jolts of pain.

Ignoring his plight, Nami spoke briskly as she declared, "You'll only feel worse if you make those promises and they can't be fulfilled. Instead of holding a grudge against the guy who did this to me, why don't you just graciously accept being at my beck and call until I am better? Then, when I'm all healed up…we'll go get him together. Sound good?" The sparkle in her gaze was impossible to ignore – she was trying to bamboozle him into being her servant in a sneaky act of false retribution, given that she had already proven to have forgiven him. And damn him, his guilty conscious was compelling him to accept her terms without thinking them through.

Still, after everything that had happened, he owed her his time and service, didn't he? It would not promise to be cordially like Sanji or as great a companion as the entertaining Usopp or obviously sweet Chopper, however, it was absolutely reasonable that she employ him as her caretaker. She would wear his swords' marking for the unforeseeable future, meaning he could stand to be her unofficial (dare he agree to it, for the sake of preserving his sanity) servant until she was on her feet once again. Agreeing to her demands would only save him time and his pride when she would boss him around without his consent and ultimately manage to get her way.

' _At least she was alive to boss him around again._ ' He couldn't help but think.

Grunting while accepting his defeat conversationally, Roronoa Zoro – for the first time since they had met – was prepared to accept the position as her slave, regardless of the consequences he knew it would bring him. "All—"

"NAMI!" cheered the captain of the Mugiwara as he randomly burst into the Medical Bay, making his missing appearance known. His face was lit up with immense relief, unlike the love cook, who would have been ogling her exposed body despite the wounds that lay across it. In a defensive act, Zoro swiped the blanket upwards and shot it at the injured woman before Luffy could even finish saying her name. He heard her groan slightly at the impact of the soft material rubbing against her wounds, but he hoped she would see his swift action as what it was: a covering maneuver and an unintentional first act of his devoted service.

"H-Hi, Luffy." She greeted with a hardy cough.

At once, their oblivious captain rushed towards the bed and cried, "What is it!? Do you need something? Should I call Chopper to come and—"

"Luffy, she's fine," Zoro promised, graciously accepting the pronounced calm that accompanied his proclamation as he confirmed her wellbeing for someone other than himself, "and be quieter."

Immediately, his command was ignored as Luffy shouted happily, "Oh, Nami! We were all so worried about you! I was so mad that I couldn't go beat up that Sultan guy for you, but I'm glad that you're awake now! That means you're feeling better, right?"

"Uh, kinda. I wish I could go without this IV in my arm." She admitted honestly to her dear friend, who looked as if he had achieved his dream of becoming the Pirate King when he saw that his navigator was up and somewhat about again. His joyous demeanour brought a smile to her face, acting as a soothing balm to the obvious pain she was enduring to entertain him in the infirmary.

As he sat down with the pole in hand and witnessed their interaction, Zoro knew he would have to watch her carefully so he could know when it was time to eject their captain from the room in order for her to rest again, and in thinking such a thing, he realized that being her temporary servant wasn't such a hard role to fulfill after all; it was simply a glorified version of the relationship before. Thinking of his situation in such a sense helped the swordsman to see that perhaps his life was still redeemable, still functional with his nakama, still what it was before he had been forced to live such a nightmare.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I'm so surprised that everyone loves this story as much as they do! I have received (both private and public) reviews of postitivity and a really invested interest in continuing "Tool". Therefore, I plan to extend this - **this will be more than a tetralogy!** I hope you'll continue to enjoy this angsty adventure and excited to see what happens next! Just so you know, half of the next chapter was intended to be the epilogue. Trivia!

Hope to hear from you soon!


	4. Retreat

"Hey, I told you to wait for me." Admonished the swordsman as he knocked on Nami's uncovered head. The snow had scarcely begun to fall and yet the cool temperatures were already permeating in her bones as she sat hunched over her knees; she had begun to shiver beneath her woolly winter coat and he knew that if she moved around too much beneath the fabric, it would more than likely aggravate her stitches once again.

Being her guilt-slave had taught him that Nami was just as bad a patient as he was, which meant that she had found yet another way to cause him stress while simply being herself.

Her cheeks were puffed as she turned to look up at him, and he shot her an impassible stare. He was not scolding her for stepping out onto the autumn island, but rather, that she had (somehow) managed to do so on her own. Zoro had only stepped away from her for a minute to listen to yet another one of Sanji's rants about how to treat her properly while he cared for her, pick up their travel lunches, and race out the door before she could sneak onto the shore. And yet, he had to hunt for her – with his sense of direction, no less – in order to locate the busybody navigator as she tried to chart the very island that had been the setting for their battle. He knew that, in her mind, what had happened between them did not warrant skipping the burnt terrain on her quest to chart the entire world.

Still, he wished she could have done it from the comfort and safety of the Sunny.

When silence loomed between them for too long a while, Nami caved and whined, "I got tired of waiting. I want to get this over with so we can get back to our adventure."

"You know we aren't moving until you're—"

"Ugh, don't say it!" Begged the poor woman as she rested her head against the chart paper she had brought with her, "I get it – I'm not better yet. I don't need everyone treating me like I'm invalid. I'm not the Sunny's anchor – we could go if you would all relax and realize I'm okay! I wouldn't have been able to get down her without your help if I wasn't, right?"

"Did you open one of your wounds?"

A pause weighed itself between them.

She tried to perform a once-over of the stitches beneath her coat quickly enough that he wouldn't see, but it was impossible not to notice the awkward maneuvering she had to perform in order to see past the layers she wore and take in the sight of the one beneath her breasts. Finally, once satisfied with her overview, she spun around swiftly and proudly told, "Nope! They're fine!" No matter her enthusiasm, Nami could not hide the fact that her sudden movements did aggravate her wounds immensely. It looked as if she had keeled over in pain when she turned back to face her chart paper.

Had it not been for the multitude of times she had previously caused tension in her lacerations, Zoro would have shown greater concern; hearing her whimper, he sighed quietly to himself and kneeled down next to her. He revealed a hidden toque in his own jacket's pocket and put it on her head for her.

"You made me do that on purpose." Groaned the woman who was much more trouble than she was worth when she was incapacitated.

Trying not to laugh at her childishness, the first mate bypassed her accusation and asked, "Do you want me to carry you? You can use my back as a hard surface to draw on." Her foolish approach to pain had reminded him of the time he had carried her while suffering massive trauma to his gut after engaging in his battle to cut steel, and how she had merely endured a stab wound to the leg while 'requiring' that he chauffeured her back to their nakama. Considering that he doubted she would last much longer after her solo trek onto the island, it would prove much more helpful when she finally succumbed to her tiredness and give her the chance to rest whenever she so chose to.

"Hmph," was her initial response, until she most likely weighed her options of travel within her mind. Both eyes now closed, he turned his head away and positioned his hands to assist her if she so _chose_ to take him up on his offer and climb aboard. Zoro assumed that he would be in a winter wonderland by the time she finally latched onto him, but thankfully, she came to her sense rather quickly and they were off in a matter of minutes, "I forgot my portable drawing table." Her admitted lapse was her supposed justification for accepting his help; her pride had never seemed so comparable to his until a moment like this.

"Ok." Was all he said in response as he began to carry her throughout the deserted island. It was not small, it was not large; it was staged very much so to look like a crime syndicate's hideout, with multiple buildings that appeared to be warehouses or storage facilities, all built without any cohesive planning from the looks of things. Some structures had evidently deteriorated much more than others, which implied to Zoro that there were separate attacks on this island in response to the thieves or mafia-like inhabitants who set up base here. A nagging thought in the back of his mind wondered if Sultan had once operated from this island or if he had merely stumbled upon it and decided that it would be the setting of the heinous acts he made the Mugiwara first mate commit.

Another, much louder portion of his mind blared at him for even giving that man another moment of his time.

"Can you find a hill?" Nami's voice popped up behind him, forcing him to focus on something much more deserving of his attention.

Still, that did not mean he understood her purpose. "A hill?"

"Yeah," he felt her nod against his shoulder blade, "Or maybe some place that isn't torched? It would help me to work faster if I could get a bird's eye view of this place." By the way she leaned into him, he could tell that she was taking advantage of his piggyback services to temporarily rest; whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was still in the process of recuperating and only someone of his physical heftiness could properly stand in the amount of time she had expected to heal. Wearing a frown in protest of her aggressive ways, his hands gently lifted her higher on his back in order to keep her in place without the security of her hands holding onto him.

Carefully, he strolled throughout the island while looking for a place that suited her needs. The entire makeshift town smelt like smoke, charred wood and carried the faintest hint of gun powder. Considering they had been docked for quite a while now, for the scents he picked out to still be as potent as they were implied heavily that the crew should remain on guard for any lingering criminals, or any returning ones. The first mate was quite grateful that he did not sense another person within their vicinity and appreciated the freedom to roam about without having to fear for Nami' safety any more than he already did.

"I'm not seeing anything sturdy enough that we can use." Zoro assessed aloud so that his passenger could hear. He did his best to scan the area more closely as he awaited her response, but when nothing came, he wondered if she had perhaps passed out. In an attempt to look back and see if she was still conscious, the shift in the muscle she was resting her head against disturbed her slumber and unfortunately awoke the sleeping patient.

"Hm, what? Did you find it?" Her questions only revealed her drowsiness in an insensitive way.

"Hey," bringing forth his scolding voice, Zoro said, "you're clearly too tired for this. Let's just go back and try again in a couple of days."

"No! I can…do this! Just find me a hill and—"

"I just told you, there is nothing we can use here. No hills, no buildings that aren't burnt to a crisp. Everything on this island is falling apart. You'd be better off on the Sunny, resting, instead of expecting _me_ to wander around this place like some kind of—"

A surprising slap was delivered to his shoulder. "That's it! I can see the island from the Crow's Nest. I'll just chart it from there. Great thinking, Zoro. Now let's head back." And just like that, she had given up her intent on wandering around on land and resigned them both back to the ship that awaited them at the shore.

Regardless of her satisfaction, her noble steed was not so amused by the sudden shift in plans. "If you could have done that this whole time, why did we even come out here!?"

"There _could_ have been a hill or something I could have used. We wouldn't have known until we checked." Nami played upon a psychological thesis as she yawned in his ear. In Zoro's mind, they still could have determined such a thing from the Crow's Nest, and he could have lifted weights all day instead of her!

Turning on his heel, the first mate grumbled to the navigator, "I think you just wanted to get off the boat for a while and dragged me along for the trip."

"Yeah, well," no regrets, Nami snuggled into the wide expanse of his back and mumbled as she slipped away into a pleasant sleep, "What're you gonna do? Too bad you're stuck with me." Then, in a single moment, she had deserted him and forced him to navigate them both back to the Thousand Sunny on his own. Considering her poor opinion of his navigational sense, Zoro was also able to surmise that she figured the return trip would be long enough to work in a hardy nap before her real navigational work began.

Huffing and grumbling and complaining to himself, the gullible swordsman cursed the woman on his back just as he would have before Sultan had re-entered his life. Those who had chased after his ex-ally had claimed that he had suffered a fate 'no Devil's Fruit user could survive' and had expected the renowned swordsman to let the incident pass him by. To everyone else, if Nami could forgive him and the threat that caused the massive upset for the Mugiwara had been dealt with, then what was there to fret over anymore? Something inside Roronoa Zoro made him wonder if the puppeteer had truly been slain, though he could not fathom why that was.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that he was not slain by his own hand.

In the end, it did not matter if Sultan lived or died, so long as he kept away from him, his nakama, and Nami specifically. Their relationship had begun to mend slowly but surely while he was in her payless employ and ultimately, that was all Zoro cared for. When he was being thrown about in the storm that was his emotions after the attack, he expected her to never speak to him again; carrying her on his back to and fro was not only a fair punishment, but an easy one to oblige. He would never dare to admit it, but it actually brought him some peace of mind and a sliver of joy to know that she was safe, close by, and in his care.

Yes, he would rather be Nami's tool that Sultan's any day.

Dare he ever admit it to anyone other than himself.

The thought produced a heavy sigh, but he followed it with a deep breath that would give him strength while climbing the Thousand Sunny's ladder off of the Port side. The ropes whined, the boat creaked, and Nami's delicate breaths whispered in his ear. Though the act of lugging her around in such a fashion was somewhat tumultuous, simultaneously, it felt as if it required no effort on his part to be such a mobile pillar of support to her while she recovered. Zoro's guilt had no intention of dispersing from his body – the wretched, chilled sensation was most definitely lingering with a vengeance inside of his gut, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike him down more effectively than Nami's Thunderbolt Tempo had – and a strange part of himself was quite pleased that he refused to allow for a permanent reprieve from the darkened emotion. Perhaps it was easier to blindly accept the internal punishment than it was to move forward, in any form of the word.

Upon stepping onto the lawn deck, the first mate was quite pleased to see that no one else was currently out and about on the Sunny, so that he could continue transporting Nami up into the Crow's Nest without any friendly or disruptive interference. The sea breeze that had been thwarted by the massive make of the Mugiwara's ship for the past little while slammed into him once he had found his footing. If the chilly weather was the reason everyone was indoors, he could only hope that no one had taken refuge in the highest room so that Nami could have her peace. He would most likely train as she drew and that would be enough of a disturbance, however, he needed to return to his regiment at some point.

The realization occurred to him when he took his first few steps up the second ladder he needed to climb: ever since he had been possessed by Sultan, he hadn't touched his training equipment. Even after Nami had awoken – after Chopper had designated him the IV pole-holder – he had barely entered the Crow's Nest if not to fulfill his night watch obligation, which was yet another form to watch over the navigator in all truthfulness. The winds grew harsher while he made his way skyward and the awareness of his slack in his training began to frustrate him: if he believed that Sultan was still alive in even on lone fibre of his being, then he needed to be prepared to strike him down at a moment's notice. Caring for his victim was one thing – laziness (outside of napping) was another.

But he had been sleeping just the same as he would have whilst training. His naps were not any less frequent, he knew, even though his responsibilities had shifted and multiplied in some details. Once Nami could leave the infirmary, she had demanded to see her mikan tree and transformed him into a gardener under her supervision. Then, she wanted to clean out her closet and locate every single article she would be able to wear during her time healing. Never before had Roronoa Zoro been surrounded by so much sequence and ladies underwear in his life. Or silk, which was the favoured material they had chosen together after sifting through her massive wardrobe. Excusing her nightly choices, the thrifty woman had only about a week's worth of choices, which suited her quite well considering that the stitches over two of her three scars were only meant to stay in for two weeks' time.

God, the stress it had caused him when Chopper had removed the ones on her face a few days ago was one of the worst days of his life.

If it hadn't been for the young doctor, Robin and Sanji, Zoro never would have had a chance to rest over the last week and a half; they each had taken turns checking her condition, feeding her, or entertaining her in some form that was unfit for the uncultured swordsman. From reading the newspaper to discussing political matters to even broaching the subject of her future with a potentially marred appearance, the trio of helpers who seemed to be the most devoted to her recovery were in some ways braver than him.

It was taking a great deal of his strength not to think about a possible world in which they wore matching scars…and it was most likely due this dedication that his naps had remained the same after all of this time.

Zoro aggressively shook his head after peeking into the Crow's Nest in order to ward away the concern that had the power to steal the very air from his lungs, even as an all-consuming chill brought on by the spirited winds possessed him with a shudder. A growl would have rumbled in his chest if not for the sudden start his actions had caused poor Nami on his back. "W-What?" she mumbled clumsily while he straightened himself out.

"Nothing," he bit back a bit too quickly, "We're here." Without needing instruction, he carried her over to the bench that was lining the wall, situating her in the perfect spot that allowed for the best view of the island. He was careful and thoughtful as he sat her down, looked her over for any discomfort, allowed his newly acquired routine of checking her over to play itself out. He witnessed the way she wiggled out of her coat and had learned from countless tries over the past few days not to offer any aid in this instance, as well. The swordsman knew he would repel any help just the same as she did if he were incapacitated in any way, however, it bothered him that she would reject _his_ help, regardless of her own prominent pride.

A smirk befell her face then, and Zoro wondered if she had somehow known what he was internally griping about. "Perfect." She spoke in a hushed tone, with her eyes already looking over the charred chunk of land awaiting her cartography skills. Without a table or his back, Nami would be forced to use the cushion of the bench and the stack of chart paper for her hard surface now, however, the glint in her gaze implied that she did not mind. Seeing her at work, the swordsman realized that she too must suffer from some sort of strain in her wrists from drawing her maps in a way that was comparable to the way his hands would tense after hours of using his swords. Her sword was her feather pen, and she had dove into her task as if the striking lines she made in ink would cut through her dormancy on the Sunny without delay.

"Does this place even have a name?" wondered the first mate aloud as he cranked his arm around and around, the bones in his back cracking lightly as he stretched his stiff body. He imagined that a lack of a title for the island could derail her plans to guide the Thousand Sunny back onto open waters.

A familiar, angry glare struck him and turned him to stone. "Didn't you know what the name of this place was? You were the one who handed me that Log Pose that brought us out here."

"I found that Log Pose on that ship that had attacked us." Explained the first mate to the navigator, a long while after the fact.

"What?" Nami asked, seeming to be quite disturbed by his reasoning, "So you made us come out here…because you found this on that zombie ship?" Fishing it from her pocket, the navigator revealed the Log Pose in question that read the name Cicero. Of course she would bypass the fact that all of the swordsman who had been conveniently stationed on the Marine ship hadn't been Marines themselves, or that they had been manipulated just as he had.

Or that they had been forced to take down every single one of the three hundred men, who had similarly been possessed the way he had when her life had been put at risk at the end of his blades.

Huffing, Zoro turned away and admit, "I knew it was from him."

"Him?" Her question rammed into his gut and caused a sensation that was very much like a mixture of physical and emotional pain to overwhelm him. He never wanted to associate Nami with Sultan ever again; her wounds were from _his_ swords and though he had not been in his right mind when she had been wounded, thinking of the two of them in any sort of relation had the power to make him sick. The memories of seeing her while under the Puppet Puppet Fruit's control continued to haunt him daily, but when she even referred to its wielder, every horrifying image flayed him relentlessly.

" _ZORO! Where are you!?_ "

" _Zoro!_ "

" _Z-Zo…ro…_ "

" _I'm sorry._ "

" _Whatever is doing this to you, I'm not letting it take us down! Zoro, you have to keep fighting! I—_ "

" _Th-Thunder…B-Bolt Tem…po_."

"HEY!" Paired with a couple of snaps, someone was calling for his attention. Alert and forced from his remembrance, the summoned first mate faced the navigator with a slightly frightened face, only to be met by that cat-like gaze that peered into him, as if she knew exactly what had just happened to him.

Gritting his teeth, Zoro tore his eyes away and answered her bluntly, "The people on that boat had his signature 's' cut into their bodies, every single one of them. And the Log Pose was sitting in the Captain's Quarters, in the hands of the Commander, with the 's' carved into his chest. I knew who sent it." He did not need to remind her that a great deal of the possessed ship's crew had looked to be deteriorating when that Marine ship casually sailed next to them with the Mugiwara logo painted over its sails; it was as if Sultan had had that scheme of his running for a while and merely needed to locate the Sunny in order to put it into action.

"He has…a signature he leaves on his victims? Isn't that sort of vain?" Nami asked, though it sounded more so like she was pointing out a fact.

"Tch, whatever." Was the aggressive reply he gave to her before wandering over to his neglected weights. He had no interest in revisiting the unintelligent course of events that nearly resulted in Nami losing her life. By his hands, no less. That fact gnawed at him so deeply, always reminding him that his efforts to train and become stronger failed to protect him when he needed it the most – his mind had been bewitched by that bastard of a man and it had nearly destroyed his entire life. He could only suspect why Sultan was so hateful towards him, but no matter what he could conclude, nothing seemed to be a powerful enough reason to nearly kill a woman he had admittedly never met. If all he wanted was Nami for the sake of collecting her bounty, he could have made Zoro bring him her body and then turned him into a servant for the rest of his life.

Sultan could have made him use his own swords against himself over and over for his very own amusement, but instead, the sick man who had controlled him chose to make him suffer by nearly killing a member of his nakama.

As he swung his weights it only made him angrier, more frustrated, to think that he could continue to train the way he always did and it would amount to nothing in fending of Sultan's next attack. _If_ he was alive, that was. He – _swing_ – wanted – _swing_ – to be – _swing_ – the one – _swing_ – to KILL – _swing_ —

Had he just heard a whimper?

Turning his head, Zoro immediately surveyed the navigator who sat on the other side of the Crow's Nest, and watched as she failed to successfully hide the fact that she had just been staring at him, tossing her head away from his direction with a slight panic in her eyes. It had been for a split second, but he had seen it: she was frightened to witness him physically exerting himself. Lifting weights on a metal staff or swinging a sword, his power struck a chord in her that made her unhappy, nervous, perhaps even _scared_ of him, even still. The toque he had given her still rested on her head and kept her warm, but her fear of him was evident and must have caused a prominent coldness to creep over her body. In the enclosed space of their current hang out space – a room much smaller than the warehouse in which they had battled – she was closer to him, within reaching distance of his hands or…

Anything else he chose to touch her with.

She tried to hum some ridiculous, clunky version of Bink's Sake to herself in order to hide her nerves, but the shakiness of her rhythm only highlighted the way she felt. For him, it felt so distant and so hurtful to know that she would experience any sort of anxiety in her presence while he was freed from any Devil's Fruit's control. She _knew_ him – he was Roronoa Zoro, the longest member of the Mugiwara aside from herself. The man she had at her beck and call, even without a proper reason to manipulate him into obeying her will. The only person she had ever met who was most likely her opposite in terms of navigation, whom she had fussed over on multiple occasion due to his poor sense of direction. One of the most powerful men she knew, that she could beat to a pulp with her anger and feminine fists.

The man who had once said that if she didn't fall into Hell herself, he would push her in, all those years ago.

"Hey," with an unnerving need to calm her, Zoro failed to consider what the sound of dropping his baton of weights would do to her sense of safety and he watched as she violently shuddered in response to the sound.

"What? I'm working." Was the unintelligible response of Nami the navigator, failing to hide the discomfort from her voice.

Purposeful, the first mate made his way to her side and ignored the blaring need he felt to keep away from her if that was what she really wanted. No, he knew that even if she was uncomfortable now, letting any sort of distance materialize between them would only allow a wedge to form and keep them in Sultan's grasp without the need of his power. Zoro was allowed to wallow – Nami was meant to thrive and overcome. He was not the most socially or emotionally intuitive man, he knew; his instincts had been alive when he had fought her and they were active on their own now as he made his way to her side.

His hand found her shoulder and he did all that he could not to take offense to the way she flinched and stiffened beneath his touch. He had carried her on his back minutes ago and now she was reacting to him as if he could lose himself again at any moment, pick up those weights of his that were much too heavy for any other Mugiwara to wield, and crush her with them in her seat. The moment in which he currently stood had the power to do many things to him – skewer him emotionally, enrage him physically, harm him mentally, end his life as a member of this nakama entirely – however, unable to envision what her response would be, all he said was, "I said nothing would ever hurt you again. I meant that."

The last of his words sounded much like a bark, the snapping of a wolf's jaws after a vicious snarl. He knew Nami would play coy and tell him once again how his promises were empty and that he could not guarantee anything other than his loyal service to her in an obviously failing effort to garner her good graces again—

No, she stunned him. Instead of mocking him and playing off of his constant ability to argue with her at a moment's notice, Nami maintained her gaze with his to show that she was unafraid of his seriousness, his strength in his resolve, at the very least. They did not break their stares away for so long, it was most likely eating up her time to chart before the sun disappeared for another day. It did not matter to her though, as suddenly placed her hand on his and squeezed it in her gentle grasp. Her touch lasted for a few instances and when she tore it away, he nearly thought that the moment had ended.

But she was full of surprises: she rested her head on his hand and softly said, "I know you do." Looking out at the island of Cicero as she said those words, Zoro had the perfect view of her toque but not her face. Nevertheless, her tone said all that he needed to know: she was trying to see past the pain and devastation and rebuild what was the relationship of Zoro and Nami. It would just take time. And considering they were still going to be traveling together until their captain found his treasure and claimed his crown, they had all of the time in the world. As a result, so did his training.

Zoro felt Nami lift her head as he circled around her, ever curious, while he moved to sit on the opposite side of her from her chart paper. He removed his swords from their place on his hip and dropped his weight into the seat next to her own the teal-coloured couch. The trio of blades would rest on one side of his body, her tools resting next to her, and he would sleep beside her while she worked on her own dream; the strength needed to become the World's Greatest Swordsman would still require the same amount of effort and dedication tomorrow. For today, he would take one of his naps, and watch over Nami in a different way than he typically would: by giving her peace of mind, and helping her to remember that he had a heart beneath all of his gruff, manly exterior.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

So, I have _good news_ and _bad news_! Which one would you like to hear first? ...Well actually, you can't hear the bad without first hearing the good... but the good is VERY good news, so hopefully it'll be okay!

 **GOOD NEWS** : I have decided to continue this story! I know I mentioned that in the last chapter, but it is now official! I always had an idea of what I could do next, but it was going to be an A/U of sorts - changing how things went down, but still being in the One Piece-verse - and not a proper continuation. After seeing how supportive and excited my reviewers have been, I am going to try to extend this story further and give it even greater depth. I want it to live up to your expectations, or even exceed them!

 **Bad News** : I won't be posting the next chapter as promptly as I have been with the last four. I have given my readers two chapters for the past two weekends, since that's usually when people have the time to read. I don't want to promise to keep that pace, when I am going to be taking this story and trying to elevate it. It'll take time to think it over and really give it a plot that suits my fancy, as well as yours. Who knows? I may be able to have something ready by next weekend, but I also might not. We shall see, won't we?

Until next time, I hope you continue to enjoy this story, and let me know what you think~


	5. Grip

_A few weeks later..._

" _Zoro!_ " Hearing her scream his name immediately lured the swordsman from his slumber. He was disoriented, confused, as she was no longer tending to her _mikan_ trees while he was napping nearby, and panic slowly began to swell within him.

Until Usopp delivered a sharp kick to his ankle, that is, and lazily said, " _Oi_ , get up already. It's hard for me to concentrate when I know she's just going to get angrier and angrier the longer you make her wait." The crew's sniper sighed and appeared to be quite put out in assisting the navigator with her summons. The swordsman glaring up at him with a slight margin of pain throbbing in his foot did not believe that he had any right to be bothered, though. In Zoro's mind, only _he_ deserved to be disgruntled after learning that Nami had managed to escape his presence undetected while he tried to regulate his sleeping; the coward had let it happen too, since his pop greens garden could not have been all too engaging, that he failed to notice the navigator exit the upper deck.

And it was none other than Usopp who had been teasing him last night, asking when he was going to give Nami some breathing room since he had faithfully fulfilled his self-designated post as her guardian and never seemed to leave it.

He sneered petulantly at the back of that bandana-donning head before stomping his way down the stairs to the main deck, port-side. With a laser-like focus did he scan the grassy terrain on the Thousand Sunny and spot Nami along its railing. Franky and Luffy stood on both sides of her, and the swordsman fought the feeling of jealousy that bloomed in his chest. It was becoming a much more common emotion for him to endure over the last few weeks, even though he knew it was a trivial occurrence; honour-bound, he had taken up the role as her caretaker quite diligently ever since Sultan had afflicted them both, resulting in a sense of pride being found in serving her, supporting her, caring for her.

Like hell he'd ever admit to it, though.

No one else seemed at all interested in taking up the mantle as her personal guardian and so his placement at her side was secure, becoming almost second nature to him now to find himself stationed next to her at all times. It only dawned on him that he was devoting a great deal of his time to her, however, when it had been pointed out to him last night, laying in his hammock in the Men's Quarters for the first time in quite a while. Hearing Usopp badger him about his sudden preference in nakama – from sitting down at meal time to menial tasks around the ship – reminded him quickly as to why he preferred to hole himself away in the Crow's Nest during the night. Or rather, how he _used to_ prefer such a thing.

"There you are." Nami cheered the moment she spotted him, almost as if she sensed his arrival before anyone else had. Not even Robin, who had been sitting on the bench that circled the mast, seemed to notice is approach when she lifted her eyes from her latest read in order to sip her tea.

Luffy, clearly prepared to bounce off of the railing he had wrapped himself around due to sheer excitement, immediately blurted out, "Zoro, look! There's—"

"Scream about it after – we need all hands on deck to furl the sails, now!" Informed the navigator with a snap in her tone, aggression in her pointed finger as she tried to draw her captain's attention towards the Jolly Roger above their heads. Her spirit was ever fiery, her need to prove herself as capable flaring up behind her directions, her chest heaving quite noticeably due to her overtly dramatic rage. Anger was a common emotion for Nami to exhibit typically, and yet it somehow felt strange to see her so easily riled after the calmer, much more relaxed disposition he had seen her wear whenever they were together as of late. Some of their fights were legendary, he knew, and—

" _Marimooo_!" A second shoe collided with him on the same day, only this time, it crashed into the back of his mocked head. Suddenly, the first mate found himself growing quite enraged, a common result of his interactions with the shitty cook, "How dare you stare at Nami-swan's glorious breasts! Don't try to deny it – I saw you leering! I don't want you alone with her anymore!"

The growl that rumbled in the back of his throat might have seemed excessive to some, but Zoro enjoyed the way it allowed for his voice to explode when he opened his mouth to fight back, "Eh? Did a bug just land on my head? I barely felt anything!" The exclamation at the end of his taunting clearly disproved his ignorance of Sanji's assault, but the love cook needed very little provocation to challenge his greatest foe.

Neither did Nami, who punched them both in the face, ignoring the fact that they continued to glare at one another regardless of the angle their heads were turned out. "Shut up, both of you! How about instead of punching each other" – said the woman who landed two good hits in with her feminine yet mighty fists – "you use that energy to _furl_. _the_. _sails_!?"

"Of course, my darling! I'd love to take care of that for you!" And just like that, Sanji's animosity dissipated momentarily in order to serve one of the two women he waited on hand and foot. Much like the fool he was did he frolic towards the netting on the starboard side of the deck, ready to scale it to the top and tie up the sail on his end. Not to be out done by the prince of Dumbass Kingdom, Zoro made a disapproving sound while looking at Nami. An amused grin crossed her lips that was meant for his eyes only before she left his side in order to return to her previous discussion with Franky.

"So you've heard of this place before?" the swordsman heard the navigator ask the shipwright as he began his ascent towards the boom.

"Yeah, it's called the Erlite Isle. I only know about it because there is…" Franky's explanation was effectively silenced as the winds carried over the sea overtook Zoro's sense of hearing. He decided to look at the so-called isle that had caught the crew's attention, as he had been too distracted by Nami's game of hide and seek to notice anything beyond her location.

While she had been away from him – a feat that had become quite easy for her to accomplish after having him do her bidding for the past few weeks, apparently – the Mugiwara navigator had discovered a brand new destination for the crew's adventures: Erlite Isle. As Zoro climbed out onto the boom, he stared at the impressive mass of land that was only half a dozen nautical miles away (being the lackey of a navigator had taught him a few things, begrudgingly). As if the size of Erlite had not caught his eye, but the decorative landmarks he could see from his awkward position above the deck surprised the otherwise jaded first mate easily.

There were many hills of different elevations across the land, some brushing against the clouds, most carrying rivers on their backs, all while there was an evident parting through the isle that indicated a smooth passage through Erlite. There were traditional-styled bridges, it seemed, that allowed for civilians and tourists alike to cross from one side to another, emulating a unified island. Zoro was much less interested in the geographical notes though and much more intrigued by the man-made arches and statues of dragons and tigers than anything else. From a distance, they appeared to infest the isle more so than the local might.

Or the random ships that were docked all around its shoreline.

"A RACE!? THERE'S A RACE!?" Answering the swordsman's curiosity was none other than the captain himself, evidently excited about the prospect of something much more exciting to do on their next departure from the Sunny than simple shopping and sight-seeing. Zoro leapt off of the netting-ladder and accidentally feigned a great deal of enthusiasm for the isle's competition. Nami's expression upon his arrival on the lawn deck demonstrated that she was less than surprised by his sudden emergence, disappointing him slightly.

Ignoring the swordsman entirely though was the all-knowing Franky as he elaborated on his captain's inquiry, "Well, I guess there will be. Tom used to tell me about an annual boat race that took place on this isle, but you were only allowed to participate if the shipwright who built your boat was a part of the race; only self-made ships are allowed to be used."

"Is the isle home to many shipwrights?" Asked Robin as she rose from her cozy seat by the mast and decided to join the conversation.

The moment she piped up, Franky turned to face her and went on to explain with a great deal more zeal. "No, not really. There's some kind of legend here about a guy who drowned and they honour him by going out and racing around."

"How…thoughtful." Brook seemed so unsure while giving his opinion, making his presence known. Saucer in one hand, tea in the other, it appeared as if he had just come from the kitchen and perhaps noticed that the majority of the crew was conversing without him. Unfortunately, he chose to join in at quite the morbid moment.

"Wait a minute," came Sanji rough assertion as he wandered over to the lot of them, "we already raced against a bunch of pirates, and that turned out to be a disaster."

Both disappointed and confused, Franky eyed the navigator and captain over his sunglasses and questioned, "Huh? When was this?"

"Ah, you didn't miss much! Think of Shiki's place…but everyone's there to race instead of plotting to blow up our hometowns!" Yelled Usopp from his garden.

Luffy's signature laugh nearly overrode the way Brook crooned, "Oh my, but that sounds so much more enjoyable!"

No one cared to correct him.

"Well, we have Franky with us, meaning we get to race! And if it's something they do every year, then that must mean there's gonna be a party!" Luffy theorized in a tone that heavily implied that he made the choice to believe his words were fact.

"There most likely will be; if Shiki's get-together was any indication, no one gathers this many pirates together to one place without intending to feed them and supply them with massive quantities of drink." Robin pointed out unnecessarily, smiling with dark intentions.

Nami groaned her name, knowing full well that the sneaky woman was intentionally riling their captain in order to force the crew's hand into landing on the island. In Zoro's mind, he imagined that Robin had the same idea that he had: this would be the first island for the Mugiwara to venture onto since Cicero, since Sultan had his way and decimated their bonds momentarily. If this Erlite Isle was a place filled with celebration and festivities to be had, than it was indeed the perfect destination for a crew in need of revitalization. He eyed the recuperating navigator while crossing his arms and instantly wondered if she would be able to handle herself; never before did he concern himself so strongly with her well-being – he trusted that the infamous cat burglar could handle herself in any given situation, in ways that differed from his own methods yet proved to occasionally be even more effective – but it had become ritualistic for him as of late to monitor her more closely than ever before.

When she had rejoined the crew after stealing the Going Merry, after he had endured her violence and kindness in Cocoyashi Village, Zoro had been so very cautious around her for the first few days back. His guarded heart had only started to weaken its defences when the nostalgia of her presence normalized their trip to Logue Town, just so that she could fine him a ridiculous amount shortly after. Nami had always been a wild card and he was usually on the receiving end of her fits, which was why it was impossible not to notice that she had been having smaller, less violent reactions to everyone as of late. Her injuries most likely prevented her from strenuous movements, even weeks after he had nearly cut her to ribbons. The swordsman had given himself to her as much as his old routine would allow, and only then when he reflected upon his recent time at her side had he realized that there were some obvious modifications to his less-than-concrete schedules, so long as he could help her in any way possible.

She had noticed his hovering, yet it barely seemed to bother her. At first, she required his assistance in moving about the ship, caring for her grove, and other such tasks she would have done on her own before his swords had caused her a great deal of pain. However, once the awkward moments of managing their time and proximity waned, all too quickly did their interactions begin to feel much more nonchalant than they ever had before. The only time he wasn't able to be the person she relied on was when she bathed, but even being aware of her daily showers had prompted him to clean himself much more frequently; being by her side was suddenly much easier than he had ever known and Zoro was able to secretly admit to himself that he was finding her company to be surprisingly enjoyable.

Nevertheless, he was not supposed to be _enjoying_ himself when caring for the woman who was scarred because of him.

"Nami!" The call of her name from the upper deck startled the swordsman who had been deep in thought, no matter how cute the voice was that beckoned for her attention. Dr. Chopper was standing at the kitchen doorway, completely oblivious to the captain's intention to land on the nearby isle, but it mattered not to him as he reminded the navigator, "It's time for your check-up."

"Oh, coming! Franky, you've got this one, right?" Nami needed to confirm that the Sunny was safe to pull into Erite's port without her guidance, even though the person she was speaking to was the man who had built it.

The shipwright scoffed while wearing a smirk on his face as he pointed a thumb at himself and cheered, "Who do you think you're talking to, girlie?"

"Yeah, yeah." Rolling her eyes, waving her hand dismissively, Nami began to head up the stairs with the intention of seeing the furry little doctor in the infirmary.

She barely took three steps before the first mate had every intention of following her to her appointment. "And just where do you think _you're_ going?" That smoky voice mocked him from over his shoulder, all while sounding absolutely patronizing. Zoro stalled until he stopped moving all together, but he did not turn around, dare he give Sanji anymore satisfaction.

"Tch, what do you care?" argued the swordsman.

"There's such a thing as doctor-patient confidentiality; if Nami-san wants to share her results with us, then she will."

" _Nami_ can also hear you right now, and can take care of telling him off herself." Was how the redhead at the top of the stairs informed the chef that he was also being much too overbearing. While everyone else had departed from the conversation, Zoro, Sanji and Nami were in a deadlock of stares, with the navigator's domineering stance having very little to do with the higher ground she stood upon. Her hands were on her hips as she leaned over the railing before her, leering down at the both for assumedly making decisions for her.

While Zoro looked away dejectedly, the love cook pranced about, exclaiming, "Of course you can, Mellorine! I love it when you take command like that—"

"Zoro," her voice rumbled beneath the obnoxious fawning, only to soften just a sliver when she carried on, "after I'm done with Chopper, I _do_ need help picking the rest of my ripe _mikan_ , okay?" It felt as if she was pacifying him, which was absolutely embarrassing because it was definitely successful in lessening his foul mood. Perhaps it had something to do with the way that she recognized the way she deserted him earlier and was atoning for it by enlisting his services once again.

When had an apology become providing someone with _more_ work?

"Yeah, yeah." Grumbled the disgruntled first mate as he slipped his hands in his pockets and continued his way up the stairs. As Nami passed through the kitchen door, the blond idiot continued to accost him and accuse him of trying to infringe on her appointment like some sort of fiend. He ignored the insults that followed him towards the back of the upper deck, where Usopp could still be found fumigating his garden. The sniper missed his presence though, his goggles set over his eyes and his back hunched over his pop greens. He did not mind being ignored, especially when his motivation for waiting on the upper deck was quite deplorable; sitting down next to the back door of the infirmary, Zoro removed his swords from the straps at his waist and pretended to doze off in case he was eventually spotted, hoping to deter anyone from assuming that he was eavesdropping on Nami's appointment.

"… _looks like you're recovering really quickly_ ," came the cheery diagnosis from Dr. Chopper, the relief in his tone providing the worrying first mate with a reason to release the hold breath in his chest, " _have you been experiencing any pain?_ "

" _Well_ ," Nami seemed hesitant to answer honestly at first, before she sighed and gave in, " _I think it's just phantom pain, you know? The stitches are out and the scars are swollen, so I know I'm on the mend. But there are times where it hurts to bend forward or twist my body, at all. That's why Zoro's been a big help with everything he's been doing for me. I'd probably be even crankier if I didn't have him at my beck and call._ "

Before he could even take offense over her allegations about his servitude, Chopper bypassed the joke made at his nakama's expense and carried on with the questions he had for her. " _You will probably be uncomfortable for a little while longer, given how sharp Zoro's swords are_." Explained the reindeer boy, unknowingly stabbing the swordsman outside his door with those pointed words of his. So easily skewered over the truthful description of his blades that he patted his gut where the sick feeling pooled. One of his favourite past times had been caring for his signature three weapons and keeping their edges dangerously refined.

 _Had_ been.

" _Yeah_ ," Nami's agreement nearly harmed him further, until she swiftly added, " _but luckily, it made the cuts really clean, right_?"

The sounds of the doctor's favourite chair rolling along the floorboards rumbled at his back, while Chopper concurred enthusiastically, " _Definitely. It was easy for me to stitch them up and if you still have that scar treatment I gave you for the scar on your arm, then these might disappear in no time._ " That remark surprised Zoro; she had been using some sort of medication to get rid of the wound beneath her tattoo? Dropping his head to stare down at his own chest, he realized that he did not even know that was possible. Assumedly, a buxom navigator would be less inclined to wear her scar with the same sort of pride a swordsman would, even more so when he recalled the hatred and hopelessness that had infected her when she had driven that dagger into her arm over and over again.

Thinking about her even envisioning harming herself now…

Zoro thought that _he_ might need to see Chopper after she did, just to see if the queasy feeling in his stomach was actually an emotional response and not a debilitating sickness.

Nami had taken a moment to think about the young doctor's question too, as made clear by the definitive pause in their conversation. " _I probably used it all with the first one._ "

The first one. The first of four that currently marred her body. The first, which was inflicted as a result of reaching a breaking point when dealing with the Fishman who had tortured her for half of her life. If they did not locate more of this treatment cream that had managed to heal the dagger-sized mess of a mark on the back of her arm, then there might be no hope in ever seeing her body perfectly healed. The memories of being under Sultan's control would never cease if he was forced to endure seeing what he had done to her every time they saw one another, let alone the disgust Nami would feel whenever she looked at herself in a mirror…

However, it wasn't what he _could_ see that had the once proud swordsman wallowing, retreating inside of himself as the reality of the situation sat down next to him outside of the infirmary.

What disturbed him the most was how his memories had faded over time – the course of nine or so years running through his mind and washing away things he had not necessarily been prepared to part with – and even with the rage-fueled weeks that had him focusing on his once reliable partner, Sultan's face was no longer a consistent image in his mind. His well-trimmed facial hair was a constant recollection whenever Zoro met someone who also groomed themselves as meticulously as his egotistical ex-comrade used to. Otherwise, every night when he remembered the sorrow he felt when Nami laid motionless and bloody in front of him, every time he saw his blades' last victim as she summoned him to aid her in her daily life, every single time anyone of the Mugiwara reminded him of what he had done in unintentional ways, he could not even properly recall the way the monster of a man looked anymore! As if his memories did not haunt him enough, now Sultan was nothing more than a phantom that lurked in his heart rather than his mind.

Zoro bowed his head and let it hang heavily, staring at the floorboards beneath him and gritting his teeth with enough force to lock his jaw. He knew that so long as she had survived his butchering, then she had not met the worst fate possible; a slight comfort though it may be, it was undeniably true. It only soothed him momentarily though, for it felt wrong to seek sanctuary inside his tattered body when he could only imagine how Nami felt. They never talked about it beyond that meager acknowledgement they shared in the Crow's Nest during her charting adventure on Cicero and it was almost cruel how swiftly the balm she had applied to his soul with her sincerity had disintegrated. After all, it had only been a few days after he had been forced to clean her blood from Shusui, Sandai Kitetsu and the Wadou Ichimonji. Never before had he been so disinterested, so unwilling to tend to his treasured weapons as he was that night, or how he merely felt as though he was loyally obligated to continue carrying them at his side when he had not used them since…then.

Roronoa Zoro would always strive to become the World's Greatest Swordsman.

His blades would always be _his_ personal treasure.

But he could barely think of using them again until he knew Nami would be restored to her former glory, before his world had been marked by three scars that – if they had not cut in such perfect unison – could have been arranged by the heartless puppeteer to form the infamous 'S' insignia that belonged to Sultan.

How even the mere thought of such filth branding Nami made the troubled first mate wish he could rush in to speak with the young doctor himself, if only to ask if he had some sort of medicine that could keep him from regurgitating his lunch all over the upper deck.

Everything felt so much worse when Zoro was incredibly unsatisfied with the report of death that his nakama had delivered after they had chased down Sultan. Drowned, is what they indirectly claimed to be the cause of death, claiming that he had been forced to endure a Devil's Fruit user's worst nightmare. Perhaps it was because he did not have the chance to end the man's life himself, or even though he missed the opportunity to watch the bastard drown until his body was nothing more than a lifeless shadow sinking into the sea. Brook had suggested that it was merely his pride as a warrior that prevented him from accepting the truth, when he had confided in his fellow swordsman a couple days back. The afro-donning skeleton had been a part of the group to hunt down Sultan and so his account of the man's death should have been perceived as factual…and yet—

The door to the infirmary swung open next to him and instantly his body tensed. His position was much too hunched, his neck craned too far forward to be considered natural, yet he dared to try and appear as though he was genuinely sleeping. For a second, he even considered emitting a hardy snore to further sell the façade. Those heels of hers click-clacked on the upper deck as she slipped out of Chopper's office and he listened so intently to the sound, it felt as if his heart beat shifted into a tandem rhythm in order to further predict her movements. It seemed so ridiculous, as he had stopped his eavesdropping a little while ago! Nevertheless, Nami's unpredictable nature as of late gave him a touch of anxiety whenever he did something that risked her demonic wrath. His charade did not provide him with the courage to believe that he could fool her properly, though.

"Hey," came the beckoning voice of the redhead who suddenly bent down at his side. Her voice was not soft nor was it loud, and so Zoro chose to maintain his position until she sighed and lightly scolded, "you think I don't know what it looks like when you're _actually_ sleeping?"

A moment of pause weighed itself between the navigator and the first mate before he eventually crumbled, pouting at her much like a petulant child would. A smile of disbelief showed itself on her face while she tossed back her bangs, her expression unhindered now that the first of her three lacerations had healed quite nicely. Her cleverness nearly undermined the relief he felt as he bit back, "You wake me up so much, I figured you forgot."

To his surprise, she laughed before replying, "You're Roronoa Zoro – if you're not sleeping, you're only other activities are fighting, drinking or eating. But now, I guess we can add picking my _mikans_ to that list, huh? Well, really, you're more like my personal cherry picker right? Lifting me up so I can reach the ones on top. So handy." The way her grin transformed into a fiendish smirk was a little too natural.

He could have countered her and threaten to place her on top of the tree like an ornament, forcing her to fend for herself while she tended to her precious grove. In fact, a part of himself that was rooted in the past – a part that had been neglected during his grief of such simplicity – nearly compelled him to bark back like a dog defending himself against the cruel intentions of an uncaring feline. Scowl versus smile, they stared at each other with such opposite emotions before he submitted to her ill-intentioned cheeriness as if it was inevitable that he would bow down to her domineering will regardless of what he had said to her in response. Picking himself up, he stood slowly and stretched out his neck as the muscles throbbed in response to being released from that strenuous pose. "All right," he grumbled as he hit his shoulder with a lifeless fist, "let's go."

Before he could take even a step towards the awaiting trees, Nami scolded him a degree more softly than he ever expected her to, "What's the matter with you? Aren't you excited to get off the Sunny for a while and explore somewhere new?"

"Sure, it's been a while since we docked—" Thankfully, it sounded as though he could have intended to end his sentence there; Nami had taken it upon herself to return his swords to him and had picked them up off of the deck, the sight surprising him a great deal. It had been only moments ago when he had reflected on cleaning the trio of blades he kept at his side after they had harmed her by his hands, and now she was holding them outstretched to him as though she did not hold an ounce of fear towards them. Maybe she assumed that since he was helping her to tend to her treasured fruit, she could aid him ever so slightly and pass him _Santoryuu_ -fighter his most important possessions.

The only indication that the sight had impacted him was the delay in the time it took for him to receive his swords from her hands. Zoro found himself moving quite slowly as he returned each one to their proper spot in their holster on his hip, staring at Nami with a blank look in his eyes; it was stunning to note the obvious difference in the way they had both begun to heal after the horror that they had shared. He had simply assumed that their pacing would be the same, that she would be internally cursing him when a flashback struck her or when he voluntarily came close to her…

Damn, Nami was a lot stronger than he ever gave her credit for.

"There's that, but I thought you'd be much more excited for some hard liquor at this festival their hosting." And it was evident in the way she specified the alcohol she expected Erlite to have, that she too would very much appreciate a barrel or two of her own to savour tonight. If he knew any better, the first mate might have assumed that she was heavily implying that they would find themselves together at a few different bars that very night.

Zoro sighed, a grin spilling out onto his previously frowning lips. Then, he allowed for a hardy laugh to slip past his iron defences too. "Come on." Was all he said to her as he negated her assumptions and headed towards her grove, swinging his arm in a circular motion to get her to follow him. Out of all the things he thought to say to her, the one he regretted was the one that came next.

' _I guess that's one similarity that will never change_.'

* * *

 **Author's Notes** ** _:_**

Well, this is the linking chapter - the one that will tie both halves of this story together. I am continuing to ask you to be patient with me in updating this story, because I don't want to rush through this for the sake of updating in a timely manner. I promise I will be completing this story, so please respect the process I use to develop Tool. Thank you.

Just want to give a quick shout out to **fmdevil** for unintentionally giving me the idea for the setting for Erlite. I posted a discussion to the Google community for ZoNa - Orange X Green, for those who are curious - and he suggested something that ended up inspiring the entire design of Erlite, the fesitval and my design of how I am going to keep the others distracted so we can focus on ZoNa, ha ha. So again, thanks for the suggestion kind sir!

Also, something else for you all to enjoy in the meantime: 

*****ZONAMI WEEK 2016*****

On tumblr, I am hosting a ZoNami Week from **July 11th - July 17th** on the zonamievents page!

Feel free to follow, submit your theme suggestions, and hopefully partake in our celebration of ZoNami love!

We are accepting theme suggestions until July 10th, then we are holding a vote from July 11th to July 14th. Come check us out!


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